The Download: AI and reporting in an age of Trump

The Downloadis our weekly newsletterthat gives you a daily dose on what’s happening in the world.

Africa’s role in AI

Africa has a long way to go before it becomes a major player. Researchers say that the continent is a unique host for it due to several factors, including a relatively younger and more educated population, a rapidly expanding ecosystem of AI startups and a large number of potential customers.

Despite this, ambitious efforts to create AI tools that meet the needs of Africans are faced with many obstacles. The biggest hurdles are insufficient funding and poor infrastructure. A lack of data centers and limited internet access could also prevent developers from deploying cutting-edge AI. This is further complicated by the lack of policies or strategies that can be used to harness AI’s enormous benefits, and regulate its downsides. Researchers worry that these issues, taken together, will hold Africa’s AI industry back and hinder its efforts to pave a path in the global AI race. Read the complete story.

-Abdullahi hates it

Science & technology stories in an age of Trump

– Food Female

For most of this past year, I was pretty sure that Donald Trump would become the 47th President of the United States. Like most people, I am still astonished by the magnitude of his victory. This level of success will provide the political capital necessary to bring about sweeping policy changes.

Many of these changes are outside the scope of our publication. Many of the stated policy goals of President-elect Trump will have a direct impact on science and technology.

I thought I’d share some of the remarks I made at our editing meeting on Wednesday morning when we discovered that the world has indeed changed. Read the complete story. This

story is taken from The Debrief the weekly newsletter of our editor in chief Mat Honan. Sign up for it to be delivered every Friday.

The must-reads

I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.

Canada has reported its first human case of bird flu
Officials investigate how the teenager was infected with the virus. (NPR)
+ Canada insists the risk to the public is low. (Reuters)
+ Why virologists have become more concerned about bird flu. MIT Technology Review

How MAGA became a rallying cry for young men
Republicans’ online strategy tapped in to the desires of disillusioned Gen Z males. (WP $ )
+ Elon is compiling a list of potential Trump advisors. FT $

Trump’s victory for the US Defense Industry
Palmer Luckey, Anduril, is anticipating a lucrative future. (Insider $ )
+ This is what Luckey says about the future of mixed reality at the Pentagon. MIT Technology Review
and are upgrading traditional weapons with AI. Wired $

This year will likely be the hottest ever recorded
The Cop29 climate summit this week will determine future policies. (The Guardian)
+ An under-appreciated contributor to weather? Microplastics. Wired $
+ Trump’s victory is a tragic setback for climate progress. MIT Technology Review

5 Ukraine scrambles to repair its power plants
Worker are dismantling stations to repair other stations that were hit by Russian attacks. (WSJ $).
+ Meet a radio-obsessed Ukrainian civilian who is shaping Ukraine’s drone defence. MIT Technology Review

We need better ways of evaluating LLMs
Tech titans are coming up better methods to measure these systems. (FT $)
+ The tech behind ChatGPT appears to be slowing down. The Information $
and are based on high test scores. These tests are flawed (MIT Technology Review).

Seven FTX is suing Binance
They claim Sam Bankman-Fried transferred $1.8 billion fraudulently to Binance in the year 2021. (Bloomberg $ )
+ Bitcoin is surging at new record heights. (Reuters)

Eight Things We Know About Tech And Loneliness
There’s little evidence that tech makes us lonely but there is a strong correlation. What’s Next for Space Policy in the US?

Elon Musk is the person most interested in the universe. (Ars Technica )

Could you save Earth from a killer asteroids?
This is a game where luck and strategy are mixed. (New Scientist $ )
+ Earth will probably be safe from a killer asteroids for 1,000 years.MIT Technology Review

Today’s Quote

‘Conflicts of interest’ seem rather quaint.”

Gita Johar, a Columbia Business School professor, told the Guardian that Donald Trump and Elon Musk have an openly transactional relationship.

Big story

Cobalt, quartz, and the waste that we leave behind

It’s easy to convince yourself that we live in an ethereal, dematerialized world ruled by digital startups and artificial intelligence.

But there is little evidence to suggest that we have disconnected our economy from the raging hunger for resources. Our world is still dependent on the products of geological process like quartz, a mineral rich in silicon, which is used to make computer chips.

Three books published recently aim to reconnect readers with physical reality, which underpins global economy. Each book reveals dark secrets about places, processes and lived realities which make the global economy tick. They also reveal the tragic toll that materials have on humans and the environment. Read the complete story.

–Matthew Ponsford.

You can still enjoy nice things.

A place to find comfort, fun, and distraction. (Do you have any ideas? Send me a message ortweet them at me. Oscars buzz is already in full swing, and the early contenders for this year are a fascinating bunch.
This sweet art project shows toys age with love.
+ Who doesn’t like pretzels? Here’s a way to ensure they have a fluffy interior and a glossy chewy crust.
These images of plankton really are quite something.